Pathfinder Campaign Setting: The Inner Sea World Guide

 

From Paizo.com

Thought I should do something Paizo related.  Don't worry, I'll be getting to the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game in quick order.  Right now, I'm reviewing the Pathfinder Campaign Setting: The Inner Sea World Guide.  Why, because I have a hard copy I can check out and go through it chapter by chapter.  It's an ambitious project -- recounting the Inner Sea region for campaigning using your favorite game system, not just Pathfinder.  Although I suspect my GURPS peers may have a conversion guide up (soon I'll be reviewing GURPS Banestorm and GURPS Fantasy).

The Inner Sea World Guide is quite simply, a guide to a piece of the world of Golarion called the Inner Sea.  It's as ambitious as the original Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting for 1st edition, 2nd edition, and 3rd edition.  My copy came as new, and I also have a digital copy. I refer to the hard copy I got from Amazon.  It's also the third incarnation of the Pathfinder campaign setting.

Disclaimer

This work is a fantasy world.  Thus it has many gods and the people are usually polytheistic.  Plus, there is nothing tying it to the Electric Universe.  You shouldn't take it as reality, it's a work for a game and therefore not real.  Yet. 

 Overview

Inner Sea World Map

 Lets get into it.  The first part of the book is the Introduction.  It welcomes you to the Inner Sea, a campaign setting that works with Pathfinder and written for Pathfinder.  However, like I said, you can use The Inner Sea with just about any game system you wish.  Including FATE, Rolemaster, and Dungeons and Dragons.  It describes how a god of humanity died and now the world is in need of heroes. It also describes the Inner Sea region as the trading and cultural hub of two mighty continents: Avistan and Garund.  These are based on Europe and Africa, respectively.  The book provides a broad overview of the Inner Sea region, yes.  And already I have an area I'd like to run a campaign in.  Also the introduction goes over the Pathfinder society, which is like the National Geographic Society.  Kind of.

The next part of the book goes over races.  And there are many different races that are recounted in this chapter, mostly human ones.  Then it devotes a page to the common races in Pathfinder.  The first chapter is scant, to tell the truth, but most of the meat of the book is in Chapter 2 -- The Inner Sea.

The Inner Sea region chapter goes over the Inner Sea in detail.  First water ways, including the Eye of Abendego -- which is a perpetual hurricane, like the Red Eye Spot of Jupiter. Then we get history.  And a good part of it. After the timeline, we get into the roll of nations.  Each nation in the Inner Sea region gets four pages detailing it's culture and a map of that nation.  The first nation, Absalom, gets turned into Absalom station in Starfinder (another game I'll get to reviewing).  Each kingdom and nation has a theme going for it.  For instance Andoran is based on the American Revolutionary War, while Cheliax is a kingdom where devils rule. And Jalmeray (an island kingdom) is based on Medieval Hindu India.

After the roll of Nations and Kingdoms, some effort is put forth on what is beyond the Inner Sea. Including Arcadia, Azlant, Casmaron, and Tian Xia (which is based on China and Japan, I'll review the Far East later).  Also what is recorded is the Solar System of Golarion.  Which I'll get into detail with my Starfinder review.  After that the lost empires of the Inner Sea is recounted in a section called Before the Inner Sea.  It's a hefty chapter full of information for you and me.

 

The Religion chapter goes over the Gods of the Inner Sea. There aren't a lot of Core Deities worshiped in the Inner Sea region, this is different from the Forgotten Realms powers -- where there is a a lot of them.  There are two additional domains for Pathfinder in this section and each Core Deity gets an overview of what their area concern and their domains. After that, there are a few other deities and Archdevils and demon lords.  And then other powers that are worshiped as well.  After that there is a whole section of Philosophies that are covered.   Then the great beyond is also covered -- these are the outer planes.  And each is given a section.

After that a chapter is devoted to life in the Inner Sea. This chapter covers trade, weather and climate, languages, coinage, and technology.  Animals and plants are also covered in this chapter. One of the technological wonders it covers is the moveable type printing press. Since it makes printing spell books easier, its also instrumental in publishing books on a far range of topics.

After that, the book covers Factions in the Inner Sea on an entire chapter devoted to them.  Each major faction has two pages devoted to them. After that, the chapter on Adventuring is covered.  Here you find ways on how the classes are worked into the Inner Sea, from alchemists to magi to the wizard.  Then there is a section of Prestige Classes remunerated.  From the Harrower to the Hellknight, to the Red Mantis Assassin.  Then there is a section of new feats, along with new equipment and spells.  Finally there is magic items.

The book's final chapter is on monsters.  And there isn't a lot of them.  However, they are there as suggestions for use or conversion into your favorite roleplaying game systems.  Then there is an index and the Open Game License with it's lengthy Section 15.

Conclusion

At three hundred and eighteen pages, this is a hefty tome.  But one that should be considered if you are adventuring in the Inner Sea region with your favorite game system or Pathfinder.  Conversion from Pathfinder to GURPS should be easy.  Some monsters may need work to do, but beyond those the book can be used as is.  I suggest you purchase the digital version first before getting your hard copy, just to see if the Inner Sea is somewhere you'd like to adventure in.